Slow Motion
by Oh Dee
Summary: Tenzin and Lin sway to the rhythm of love.


Republic City lies across Yue Bay, a sprawling mess of steel buildings, all metal and gray. It is a distinct contrast to the green that surrounds him during this cloudless day on Air Temple Island. The trees sway in the gentle breeze, the sun warms his arms and face, and the blanket of bright blue above him is bright. He loves the view from up here, loves the sunbaked green tiles of the gazebo under his palms. When the world around him seems to kilter off course he spreads out on the rooftop while everyone else seems to continue on. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply, the smell of the sea filling him completely.

"Hey, Baldy."

Tenzin cracks an eye open at the sound. Peering over the gazebo, he spots Lin looking up at him, eyes squinting in the sun, one hand on the gentle curve of her hips. He smiles at her even as her pink lips pull downwards in disapproval and one hand holds up a green tin.

"Quit fooling around," she says, shaking the tin at him.

He extends a hand out, silently inviting her to join him. He knows she'll decline, partly because there's no way for her to get up on the roof without using her metal cables and ruining the architecture, and partly because she hates asking him for help. Sometimes, it's frustrating, watching her grit her teeth and plant herself on the ground, refusing to acknowledge that he can easily send a gust of air out to help her. But most of the time he simply enjoys watching her, the way she settles into the earth so easily, the way she will refuse to budge even though it only takes a few words of suggestion for her to relent.

Of course, just as he expects, Lin shakes her head, sending waves of dark hair cascading down her back. "Come on. I do _not_ want to hear you complaining about a peeling skull."

"Lin," he calls, "just come up. We can watch everyone from up here."

She rolls her eyes though there is no annoyance in her voice as she speaks, "I like to mind my own business, Tenzin." The green salve makes another shake at him and she throws him a smile in hopes that he'll join her on the ground. "Last call."

Instead of answering, he sticks his hand in his pocket and gathers the object he's wanted to give Lin for months now. He sends it down with some air, watching it float to her like the petals of a cherry blossom tree falling in spring. Lin's hand immediately closes around it. She looks at him quizzically before peering at the object sitting in her palm, her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"What's this?" She lifts a dark, round slab of flattened stone hanging on green thread for better inspection. Her long fingers run over the edges and he can tell her nails are tracing the carving he has etched. For a moment, she is merely taking it in, and then there is a gasp as she takes one step back. He sees that her stance is unbalanced, that she is truly surprised because she hasn't dug her heels into the ground.

"Is this—?" Her green eyes are wide, the beginning of a blush coloring her cheeks.

"I _am_ half-Water Tribe," he tells her. Lin isn't barefoot today, which means the sudden furious pounding of his heart might go unnoticed. "It's a tradition."

She licks her lips, the movement of her pink tongue fleeting and yet the sight is enough to warm him all the way to his bones. "There's no way you could have carved space earth so easily."

Tenzin scratches the bridge of his nose. "I don't know if 'space earth' is the correct term. If it's earth—oh, never mind. I may have asked my uncle for a little help."

She eyes him again, still suspicious. A sculptured brow lifts while a smirk works its way to pull one corner of her lips upward, initial shock wearing off. "And where did you get—?"

"Alright, so I asked Toph, too—"

A giggle threatens to bubble out of her so she coughs, "Anyone else to add to the list?"

"Kya _may_ have lent me hers for inspiration." He shakes his head. "So is that a yes?"

The betrothal necklace is held up to the sky again, her eyes critical. His heart begins to beat rapidly against his chest again, drumming a rhythm that sounds like her name. When Lin finally meets his eyes, she's smiling.

"Do I have to put this on myself or what?" The necklace dangles in her hands, beckoning him to come down.

She looks like she has more to say but Tenzin doesn't let her complaints keep building. He leaps down to take her in his arms, his eyes searching hers for hesitation only to find them rolling back as she laughs at him, her hands tightening around the nape of his neck. The earth trembles a little under his feet as it propels her upward, and soon they are both laughing through their kisses.

* * *

The problem with being Avatar Aang's son is that the Avatar, when excited, cannot be deterred from whatever ridiculous idea has entered his mind. So when Tenzin has mustered enough courage to tell his parents he has finally gifted Lin with the necklace, it takes his father and Toph only three minutes to inform the Fire Lord about the engagement, considering Fire Lord Zuko is at a very important meeting when the two storm his palace. It actually takes Uncle Sokka, Kya, and Bumi about two minutes to inform all of Republic City. Naturally, the formal announcement needs to be made at a huge party.

Naturally.

Everyone is gathered in the courtyard outside the main family home on Air Temple Island. Paper lanterns have been strung among the trees, the moon low enough to light everything in an ethereal glow. It is an extravagant affair, which is why Tenzin cradles a glass of champagne by one of the pillars of the veranda, overlooking the festivities. He spots Lin rolling her eyes at her mother and grandmother, both pestering her about the dress she wears. All three women look very much alike although Lin is a cross between the two older women. Toph Beifong is all jagged edges while Poppy Beifong is delicate, fragile, and incredibly beautiful for her age. But both frown in the exact same way, and Lin, who is caught in the middle, seems eagerly desperate for the earth to open up and devour her.

"How's it feel?"

Tenzin sighs, clinking his glass with his uncle's and grunting when the older man wraps a strong arm around his shoulder. "I think I'm going to puke."

Sokka laughs, though he's momentarily distracted by the pointed look Aunt Suki throws at him from across the clearing. "Yeah, that might be because I spiked the champagne with some cactus juice." His uncle snatches the glass out of his hand and gulps the bubbly liquid down. Finished, his uncle gestures to the object of Tenzin's affection with his chin. "She looks real happy, kid."

Tenzin catches Lin's eyes before she shyly looks away, her hand absentmindedly reaching for her necklace. His heart begins to pound heavily and he has to check his feet to make sure he isn't flying a few feet above the ground.

Sokka is watching him, a giant grin plastered on his dark face. "That's love for you." A song begins to play and the crowd on the dance floor clears away, turning their eyes on him. Sokka leans down and whispers, "Go get her."

Confidently, he strides up to Lin, ignoring Toph's jibe, "Don't step on his toes, Lin. He's _delicate_." Offering his future wife his arm, he lowers his head in a deep bow of reverence because he still can't quite believe that she's wearing his necklace, that she will become his wife, that he will be spending the rest of his life with her. He has done nothing to deserve such a gift and he figures he will always be in admiration of her, following behind her dutifully as she makes her way in the world.

Lin places her hand on his arm and he swears he can feel the flutter of her heartbeat through her fingertips, like butterfly wings. "I can't believe you let Aang do this for us," she whispers.

He smiles, leading her onto the dance floor before spinning her around in an overly-dramatic showcase of his dancing prowess. She rolls her eyes at him as he says, "Father wanted to do something nice for you."

She sighs, "This is just showing off." Her eyes widen when he pulls her flush against his body, his grip tightening around her waist to keep her in place. "What are you doing?"

"Dancing," is his answer.

"I can't breathe."

"Trust me," he tells her. Her fingers curl around his as she begins to relax into his embrace. "I'm all the air you need."

They dance in slow motion, twirling and gliding along the ground. Lin has to remind him several times to keep himself on the dance floor, that she isn't nearly as comfortable dancing in the air as he apparently is. It takes all of his self-control to keep from lifting her and taking her to his bedroom but he catches the almost-imperceptible shake of her head, as if she knows exactly what he's thinking.

Having her in his arms, letting everyone see them just as they are, makes Tenzin nearly as happy as hearing her whisper words of love in his ear when she thinks he's asleep. It seems to make everyone else just as happy, too, because all the guests are grinning and Tenzin swears the moon seems to brighten. They all seem to be reassuring him of the one thing he'd known since he'd fallen in love with Lin Beifong at thirteen: he is the luckiest man in all of the world.

Lin looks up at him, her eyes glassy, and smiles. "This is actually pretty terrifying," she admits, squeezing his hand.

He lowers his head. His words whisper across her face, "Don't worry," just as a tear escapes her control and slides down her porcelain cheek.

She laughs a little. "I'm not worried," is all she says before she rises on her tiptoes and kisses him amidst the applause of their family and friends.

And just to show off she dips him, cradling the back of his head in one hand as the other grips his back. She smiles into his mouth, her eyes wide open and staring into his, and he can see the rest of their lives reflected back.

* * *

The police station is quiet, save for the few times Lin taps her pencil against her metal desk. A strand of graying hair falls to her eyes and she swipes it away, irritated, her concentration fully engaged by the stack of reports she has littered around her. She has already refused Tenzin's help three times, so he simply watches her from his place at his makeshift-desk in Chief Beifong's office. His table isn't nearly as impressive as hers, of course, because she refuses to let him outdo her even though they are, technically, now working together as partners.

There is silence for a whole four minutes (he knows because he counts) before Lin begins to hum. The tune is familiar, an upbeat but slow rhythm that he knows he should remember immediately. Still, it takes him a moment before he realizes she is humming the song they danced to so many years ago, back when they were different people.

He smiles to himself as he watches her work, her hand scribbling furiously. Tenzin has always kept her in his mind, their time together a memory he likes to visit when he can. He thinks of her fondly, knows that the occasional stutter of his heart when he sees her is not really out of fear but out of the same feelings he held for her since before he could remember.

She stops writing to fit the end of her pen between her teeth. Her other hand travels down to her neck to scratch at the spot where her betrothal necklace would be if she still wore it. Tenzin knows some habits are hard to get rid of because he finds himself looking at that spot too, expecting to see his promise to her but finding only her metal uniform.

Lin's head snaps up, her pale green eyes narrowed. The humming has stopped and she has taken to tapping her pen furiously on her desk again. "What're you looking at?"

"You were humming," he informs her.

She pauses, eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. "Was I?" she asks softly. Her lips pout prettily. "I hadn't noticed." She shrugs and returns to her report, though now it is with less determination.

Tenzin grins and takes the opportunity to airbend a few of the reports to his desk. She doesn't argue, doesn't even spare him another look, instead throwing him a pen that lands with a clatter. He takes it gratefully and, although he occasionally looks down at the work he now has to complete, continues to watch her.

He has her until morning. There are no windows in her office, no way of telling the progress of time. He spends the rest of the night scratching names out and replacing them with new ones until she finally rises from her chair. Lin's arms stretch upwards and he hears a crack from her protesting bones.

"That's that," she announces. The door to her office slides open and she fixes him with a glare. "Time to go, Baldy." She scowls a second later at her use of his nickname but makes no move to acknowledge the mistake.

Together, they leave her office and the station. Just outside, with the sun poking over the horizon and bathing the empty streets in orange, Captain Saikhan is waiting with a car and a sweater. The younger man says nothing to Tenzin, barely nodding in greeting, and turns to Chief Beifong to hand her the keys to her car and the gray cardigan he has brought for her.

She takes them without so much as a thank you. Captain Saikhan heads back to the car, throwing the airbender one last glare before getting into the passenger seat. Turning to Tenzin, Lin bows her head in goodbye and follows after Saikhan.

Tenzin can't help it when his eyes glance down to take in the sway of her hips, the memories of nights long ago suddenly playing in his mind. He shakes them away.

"Goodnight, Lin," he calls after her.

"Goodnight," is her response.

* * *

**AN:** So I may have an unhealthy obsession with writing songfics about Linzin. Still can't help it. This fic here is inspired by "Rhythm of Love" by the Plain White T's. The song can also totally apply to Kataang but do I look like I care about that? NO. I am one of those crazy fans that can only have one OTP per show, and AtLA was totally Sokka/Suki.

Hope you guys enjoyed. As always, review.

And see? HAPPY FIC. FLUFF. I can do it.


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